Maintaining the temperature of bottled beverages, such as wine and champagne, is vital to enjoying the complete characteristics each beverage has to offer. Various types of coolers are used to chill or impart cooler temperatures to such bottled beverages. For instance, ice is often placed in such coolers and the bottled beverages are placed in the coolers, such that that they are in contact with the ice and become cooler based on the contact. A disadvantage with such coolers is that once the ice melts, the remaining water may become warm and unable to maintain a colder temperature for the bottled beverage. Another disadvantage is that once the bottled beverage is removed from the cooler, large amounts of liquid may remain on the external surface of the bottled beverages, which may make the bottles slippery and cause the bottles to fall out of the user's hands. This may be dangerous to the user and others nearby, particular when the bottles are made of glass.
Other variations of coolers may be in the form of individual bottle holders within which the bottle beverages are positioned. Such bottle holders may include inner and outer shells, and an insulating material arranged between the inner and outer shells. Such insulating material may include, for instance, refrigerant/coolant, gel, and other types of freezable liquid. In order to secure the inner and outer shells together and prevent leakage of the liquid, gaskets or rubber materials are used. The inner shell may include several rubberized materials or spacers joined to the inner surface of the bottle holder to secure the bottle in place and adjust to bottles that have different diameters. In addition, the inner surfaces may include a stepped portion to receive bottles that are wider and shorter, or bottles that are narrower. The bottle holders may include a cap or stopper for covering the bottle holder. When a bottled beverage is housed in the bottle holders, the bottled beverage may be completely enclosed within the bottle holder, requiring the user to remove the cap/lid, and in some instances, the bottled beverage in order to retrieve the beverage (or pour from the bottle), which may be cumbersome. These typical bottle holders include numerous components, and numerous shapes, which may be expensive and difficult to manufacture and assemble.
In view of the disadvantages associated with presently available bottle holders, there is a need for an insulating vessel that houses bottled beverages within the vessel, and is able to maintain the temperature of bottles that are warm and the temperature of bottles that are cold. There is a further need for a vessel that is able to accommodate bottles of different shapes and sizes, while also allowing users to pick up the vessel and pour the contents of the bottle without having to remove the bottle from the vessel. Additionally, there is a need for an insulating vessel that prevents the formation of condensation on the surface of a bottled beverage housed therein.